Contact for spark-gaps



A. E. ANDERSON.- CONTACT'FOR SPA'RK GAPS.

APPLICATION FILED -.IULY 9,1921.

Patented Dec. 27, 1921.

jNVE/VTOR Q. A fin A TTORNZIY UNITED STATES" Arrensr nuennn annnn'soiv,or 'non'rcrinm, new JERSEY..

CONTACT ron smart-ants.

Sp ecification of LettersPatent.

Patented Dec. 27, 1921.

Application filed July 9, 1921.' Serial No. 483,510.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, AUeUsT EUGENE AN- DERSON,a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the town of Montclair,in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certainnew and useful Im' provements in Contacts for Spark-Gaps; and I dohereby declare the following specification to. be a full, clear, andexact description of my said invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to'which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying draw ings, and to referencecharacters marked thereon, which form a part thereof.

My invention relates generally to contacts for spark-gapsand'particularly to ignition devices for explosive engines, in which thecompressed charge is fired by an electric spark, and more particularlyto an arrangement of the terminals of a spark-plug.

The objects of my invention are to provide a spark-gap for an explosiveengine, or the like, whose terminals shall be kept clean automatically.Other minor objects will hereinafter be set forth.

My invention consists, broadly stated, in mounting a spark-plug,connected in the usual manner, in a magneto and distributer circuit,upon the cylinder of an explosion engine, but differing from the usualpractice in this, that the spark-plug carries only one spark-terminal asa fixed electrode, the

other spark-terminal being mounted upon the top of the piston-head asatraveling electrode, and in wiping contact with the bore of thepiston-cylinder.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred embodimentof my invention as applied to the piston and its cylinder of anexplosive engine, Figure 1 is a sectional view in elevation of an enginecylinder and of the piston working therein, parts of both being brokenaway, and Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the two electrodesaffording the spark-gap therebetween. the like parts in these figures,in which 1 is an engine cylinder, shown as having the water-coolingjacket 2 thereabout. 8 is a piston-head working in said cylinder havingthe beveled top 4. 5 is a spark-plug screwed into the, crown 6 of saidcylinder and extending therethrough into the combustion or explosionchamber 7 8 is a porcelain sleeve serving to insulate the conductor9-wh1ch Like numerals of reference indicate terminates below in theelectrode 10, and formlng wlth the nut 11 a threaded bindingpost at theupper end adapted to be connected to a distributor and through it to asourceof current such as a megneto, neither of which parts are necessaryto be shown.

The electrode 10 is bent at right angles to the conductor andextends-radiallyinward until its tip is substantially in alinement withthe bore of the cylinder. 12 is a rectangular bracket, attached by thescrews 13 to the top of the piston-head and in electrically conductiverelation therewith, extending vertically upward to form a secondelectrode let, whose.u pa th, as the piston .reciprocates, brings itinto sparking-relation to the elec trode 10, the gap therebetweenapproximatmg between and i of an inch. The electrode 14 is so mountedupon the piston as to engage frictionally at each pistonstroke in wipingcontact with the inner surface of the cylinder. By such contact, thetravellng electrode 14 is kept clean and bright and the establishment ofthe spark between it and the fixed electrode 10 is therebyinsured.

As will be obvious, the electric current may be supplied from anysuitable source and applied through any of the usual forms ofdistributers to my type of spark-gap, which may be used to igniteacharge of ex plosive fuel compressed in a cylinder by a piston in anykind of engine in which a spark-plug is now used, as a substitutetherefor, by so attaching an angle-bracket to the piston-head that theside of one of its arms will be wiped clean at each piston stroke andcaused to approach the fixed electrode, the

circuit from the magneto being groundedor completed through the engineframe. I

have found from extended use through a se ries of test conditions thatthe traveling electrode keeps free from fouling and presumably becauseof this fact that the fixed electrode retains its clean condition. Inconsequence of the non-fouling of these electrodes 'tionary electrode.

cent; less gasolene fuel for the samedistance,

although while equipped lwith the normal spark-plugs they were clean atthe-start and cleaned every hour during the test.

It, will be understood that the'traveling electrode in my system'may bemounted in any suitable manner upon'the piston-head, as by mechanicalmeans, as illustrated,'or otherwise fastened thereto, or may be formedintegrally therewith, and that the fixed electrode may he'of anysuitahle'character, so long as thei'nvention is realized and practicabletherewith. V

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new: ,7 v

1. In an explosion-engine, a stationary electrode andatravelingelectrode adapted to move into sparking relation with saidstationary electrode, and means adapted automatically to wipe saidtraveling electrode when out of sparking-relation to said sta- 2. In anexplosion engine, a cylinder and a piston therein a stationary electrodeiii-said contact with said cylinder.

4:- In an explosion engine,acyl1nder and cylinder. and a travelingelectrode upon said pistongthe traveling electrode being adapted "tocontact with said cylinderin wiping enmounted upon the said piston andin wiping a piston therein, an electrode mounted in the crown of saidcylinder and a-second elec- J trode mounted in the head of said piston,

and means: adapted automatically to wipe said second electrode. I

' 5.111 an explosion engine, a cylinder and ally to engage the bore of:said cylinder during a part of the pistons stroke.

' AUGUST EUGENE annnnson.

